Singer Leighton Meester rang in the New Year at Dusk Night Club Atlantic City.

Olly Girl Holly Huddleston hosted a party at The Pool.

Adrian Grenier of ‘Entourage’ performed at The Pool.

O.A.R. rocked the House of Blues on New Year’s Eve.

Happy hours are a dime a dozen. But the happy hour at The Palm
Bar inside The Quarter at the Tropicana Casino and Resort is by far
the most buzzed-about in the city.

And it rightfully should be. From 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays to
Fridays, The Palm is offering a "Bar Bites" menu that almost seems
too good to be true at such an upscale restaurant.

The "Bar Bites," priced at $3.50 include: three kobe beef
sliders with bacon, lettuce, tomato and pesto aioli; three filet
mignon Capri sandwiches with imported buffalo mozzarella, tomato
and basil with balsamic aioli; two "Ultimate" panko- and
parmesan-battered chicken strips with sweet and sour chili sauce;
three mini broiled crab cakes with mango salsa and chipotle tartar
sauce; three veal parmigiana sliders; a large portion of The Palm's
famous "Point Judith" fried calamari tossed with lemon and cherry
peppers and served with marinara sauce; and three prime cheesesteak
sliders.

"Since we started this, the reception has been overwhelming,"
said General Manager Paul Sandler. "It has been huge for locals.
They have truly embraced it. People are waiting at the door to get
in at 5 p.m. We are trying to create the identity of the bar. We
want people to think of this as The Palm bar, not the bar at The
Palm. So we've incorporated more music, a more lively atmosphere
and an overall more upbeat feeling to attract younger clientele.
And, of course, the food speaks for itself."

On any given night, the bar is full of other industry
personnel.

"Even our own staff comes here on their nights off," Sandler
says. "That shows you how good it is. I know that when I go out to
eat, I want to eat at places that I see other people from the
industry at. You know it's good."

The promotion, which also includes oysters on the half shell
with shallot mignonette, cocktail sauce and wasabi for $1 each, and
jumbo shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce, lemon and horseradish
for $2 each, has been extended indefinitely.

One of the most interesting aspects of the "Bar Bites" is that
most of the ingredients are from the regular menu in smaller
portions, including the filet mignon, calamari, veal parmigiana and
crab cakes.

"We are bringing in a lot of people who may have not been aware
of The Palm," Sandler says. "The people coming in are staying for
dinner and becoming regulars because they see what we're all
about."

To make matters more enticing, The Palm is offering half-price
bottles of wine on Mondays in the entire restaurant throughout
January. Bottles can range from as little as $13.25 for a Beringer
white zinfandel to $1,600 for its most expensive bottle, the
regularly-priced $3,200 1982 Chateau Margaux.

"It's no gimmick," Sandler said. "It's every bottle of wine.
There are no restrictions. There is no special wine list. It's
everything on the wine list. The sky's the limit. You can literally
come in and have a bottle of wine and some bar bites for under
$20."

Call 609-244-7256.

‘Jersey Shore' cast coming to Taj Mahal

It was only a matter of time. Cast members from one of the
hottest and controversial shows, MTV's "Jersey Shore," will make
appearances at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort's Casbah nightclub on
Saturday, Jan. 16.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and DJ Pauly D will be in the
house, and fans - and/or protesters of the show - will certainly be
in abundance.

"Jersey Shore" debuted on MTV in December and was an immediate
ratings success, partly because of the attention it received from
Italian-American groups that said the show was exploitive and was
stereotypical of the culture.

The show features eight Italian-American twentysomethings who
shared a summer house in Seaside Heights. A typical episode
features the housemates fighting, hooking up, sharing a hot tub and
partying excessively.

Sorrentino, 27, of Staten Island, N.Y., and Pauly D, 28, of
Johnston, R.I., will host the party that will also include "Best
Abs" and "Hot Body" contests for cash and prizes.

Doors open at 10:30 p.m. The cover is $20.

Celebrity sightings

As expected, New Year's weekend was packed with celebrity
appearances that ranged from A-list to D-list.

On the top of the A list was Mariah Carey. One of the most
popular and successful performers of all time headlined a sold-out
show at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Saturday, then showed up
at an afterparty in mur.mur, which was hosted by her husband Nick
Cannon, who was guest DJ for the night. While she was there, Cannon
played her hits "Heartbreaker" and "Fantasy." Carey posed for her
fans and was sipping champagne throughout the night, something she
began to do on stage earlier. It was the first time Carey performed
a show and Cannon served as DJ at an afterparty in the same venue.
Carey's songwriting partner Jermaine Dupri hosted a party in mixx
on the same night.

Also at Borgata, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop and former MVP
Jimmy Rollins dined at Wolfgang Puck American Grill and checked out
Carey's show in the Event Center.

The Pool at Harrah's Resort was hopping with some interesting
bookings, the most impressive being the appearance of Adrian
Grenier and his band The Honey Brothers on Saturday night. The star
of HBO's hit series "Entourage" performed with his band and then
hung out in a VIP cabana in The Loft, which debuted on New Year's
Eve.

Jam band O.A.R. also showed up at The Pool for an after-concert
drink following their show at the House of Blues on New Year's Eve.
They also hung out in a cabana and posed for pictures with
fans.

Philadelphia-based rap mogul Beanie Sigel also parted at The
Pool for new Year's Eve. He was invited to address the crowd, but
he did more than that, performing three songs to tracks.

On New Year's Day, Holly Huddleston, one of the Olly Girls on
the E! reality series "Sunset Tan" hosted a party at The Loft.

The Pool also brought in Mini KISS and Mini Michael Jackson for
some interesting performances.

Finally, Leighton Meester of "Gossip Girl" fame hosted the New
Year's Eve bash at Dusk at Caesars Atlantic City. She counted down
to 2010 and rang in the New Year with a performance.

Big jackpot at Borgata

The first big jackpot of 2010 came on New Year's Day afternoon
at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. The winner chose to remain
anonymous, but he walked away with $1,083,382 on a Wheel of Fortune
machine near the Gypsy Bar.

The man came to see Tracy Morgan and party at mixx on New Year's
Eve and hit the jackpot with $39 left on a $100 investment.